Speaking to the Dundee Telegraph, Dawn said: "If he hadn't got to me when he did, I dread to think what might have happened. I might not be here today to tell the tale. I believe my son saved my life.

"I went to bed on the Tuesday afternoon. The next thing I knew it was more than a day later and I was in hospital. I ended up in Perth Royal Infirmary for more than a week after that.

"I don't have any great recollection of exactly what happened but all I know is that Jamesy left his work and battled his way through the snow to get to my side because he truly believed something was wrong with me. That's the best decision he ever made."

Jamesy said at first he was not all that concerned when his mother failed to answer the phone as she often napped in the afternoon, but after a while he began to feel that something may not be right.

The 23-year-old chef said: "As the evening wore on and after repeated calls with no response, I started to become more concerned. Other family members tried to contact her as well without success.

"I decided I had to drive up from Crieff to Bridge of Earn because I just felt that something definitely wasnt right. The weather was dreadful with really heavy snow and the roads were awful but I knew I had to go."

The journey took twice as long because of the bad weather, but despite that Jamesy battled on and eventually found his mother upstairs.